One of the people who helped open the service was prison warden Burl Cain. He has introduced significant changes that have led, among other things, to the establishment on the prison grounds of several chapels where Christian worship services are held on a regular basis.

On Sunday, February 6, the members of Elmhurst (Ill.) Christian Reformed Church held a combined worship service with inmates of Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, even though the two congregations were separated by nearly a thousand miles.

Using the technology that was designed for inmates to make court appearances by video link, there was audio and video feed from the Angola chapel to the large screen at Elmhurst CRC. Simultaneously the Elmhurst congregation was present in Louisiana by audio/video feed.

The two congregations could hardly be more different. Most of the 5,100 prisoners at Angola are there for life due to the nature of their crimes and the harsh sentencing laws in Louisiana. The prison, which is the largest maximum security facility in the United States, has a dark history of violence and abuse dating back to the American Civil War.

The Elmhurst congregation, by contrast, is an upscale group of 1,500 members located in an affluent suburb of Chicago.

At the worship service, singing and prayer were offered in a back-and-forth fashion, led first by the worship team in Angola, and then by the worship team in Elmhurst. The sermon was delivered to both congregations by Rev. Sidney Deloch, an inmate and pastor at Angola.
At the end of the service, Deloch gave the blessing to both congregations and then the Elmhurst congregation was led by a leader in a prayer of blessing for the Angola congregation.

One of the people who helped open the service was prison warden Burl Cain. He has introduced significant changes that have led, among other things, to the establishment on the prison grounds of several chapels where Christian worship services are held on a regular basis.

View video here: vimeo.com/19839452

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